Batgirl (2022)

[The Dark Knight]

Supergirl will likely get chopped as well.

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/batgirl-shelved-warner-bros-1392407/

Looks like a slash and burn hard reboot is happening. The Flash will probably be the end of the line.

[thecolorsblend]

Supergirl will likely get chopped as well.

Seems obvious in retrospect.

Am I the only one who thinks it would be funny as hell if Zaslov (or someone in his orbit) gives the same kind of passive-aggressive farewell speech for putting the old regime's entire program out to pasture like the one Sarnoff gave to Snyder's "trilogy"?

Looks like a slash and burn hard reboot is happening. The Flash will probably be the end of the line.

I'm loving all this chaos and confusion. We have officially reached the point where the drama behind these movies is far more interesting than the drama in the movies themselves.

[The Dark Knight]

What people call chaos is usually someone taking charge of a situation. If we're being serious, and I always am, the DCEU should have been rebooted after the JL reshoot fiasco. But it limped on. So I say chop it all with the biggest and sharpest katana we can find. And while we're at it, give it a T-bone with the Tumbler. Solo films would be my chosen direction. I like Batfleck, but if we're not getting anything else from him, I say chop out the two seperate Batmans thing and just focus on one: Battinson.

[thecolorsblend]

What people call chaos is usually someone taking charge of a situation. If we're being serious, and I always am, the DCEU should have been rebooted after the JL reshoot fiasco. But it limped on. So I say chop it all with the biggest and sharpest katana we can find. And while we're at it, give it a T-bone with the Tumbler. Solo films would be my chosen direction. I like Batfleck, but if we're not getting anything else from him, I say chop out the two seperate Batmans thing and just focus on one: Battinson.

Very this. Pattinson simply has more momentum going on than either of the other two.

[Travesty]

Oh yeah, I'm totally down for a full reboot of the DCEU. I would let Matt Reeves stick to his own universe, and of course, Todd Phillips with his Joker universe. But if they want a shared universe similar to the MCU, just burn it all to the ground and start fresh. They're not using Snyder, they're not using Cavil, and Affleck isn't coming back in a full role. Just restart.

[The Dark Knight]

Superman, for example, is crying out for solo films. He needs to be more than just a bit player in a Justice League. Individual films at least lay a groundwork that the DCEU lacked if they ever decided to cross things over with an event film. But if they didn't I'd be totally fine with that. If the powers that be have 100% decided Affleck is done, my mind is well and truly made. I have very low desire for yet another new Batman actor to be cast while Battinson is strutting his stuff. It would be overkill. One actor at one time is enough.

[The Laughing Fish]

Yeah, back in the day, the AOL/Time Warner merger was pretty prolific in just how much of a disaster the whole thing wound up being. With the Warners/Discovery merger, way too early for the predictions column, but damn is this one hell of a corporate media shake up!

Batgirl should never have been greenlit in the first place, but if there is one thing that bothers me about the way WBD handled this cancellation, it's how they didn't inform the cast and crew about their decision, they learned about it in the media reports. I would've expected this lack of professionalism from the Emmerich/WarnerMedia regime. WBD need to get their act together or else more people will start calling them out if they fail to fulfill the promise of restoring relationships with creatives.

With that said, there is one person I don't have any sympathy for being kept in the dark about the cancellation, and that is Walter Hamada.

Amid the shelving of the HBO Max film Batgirl and the clear desire of Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav to find new leadership for the DC universe, DC Films president Walter Hamada has come to the verge of exiting the studio and consulted with counsel, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

Hamada has now agreed to remain in his post at least until the Oct. 21 release of the Dwayne Johnson film Black Adam, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. "He's pausing," says a source. "The decision has not been made to make this adversarial, yet." Hamada could not be reached for comment.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dc-films-walter-hamada-exit-batgirl-1235193439

Anyway, a couple of shots from the film have leaked online. Here is one with Michael Keaton and Leslie Grace, in costume.



Here is another of Batgirl speaking to a guy called Bressi, with an excerpt from the script describing the scene. "Battin time" sounds like a parody of the Thing's "It's Clobberin' Time".

[thecolorsblend]

Does "Bressi" refer to Tony Bressi? If so, that's one hell of a deep cut from the comics. He was an incidental character at best and only appeared in two or three issues (that I can remember).

[The Laughing Fish]

Some scoopers interviewed somebody who attended a test screening for Batgirl. To sum it up, the film sounded mediocre at best and was compared to an hour-long CW pilot. Keaton apparently did the best he could in a very small albeit pivotal role, as Batman came out of retirement to help Batgirl.

https://geekositymag.com/report-michael-keaton-only-had-small-role-in-batgirl/

Whatever happens with Keaton going forward, we can only lament his talent was misused for this mess.

Does "Bressi" refer to Tony Bressi? If so, that's one hell of a deep cut from the comics. He was an incidental character at best and only appeared in two or three issues (that I can remember).

That would appear to be the case, according to this article from April.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1327435/leslie-grace-just-dished-out-some-sweet-batgirl-scoop

[The Laughing Fish]

Upon winning an Emmy for his stellar performance in the mini-series Dopesick, Keaton was asked about Batgirl's cancellation and his future as Batman.

"I think it was a business decision," Keaton said in the Emmys press room about Warner Bros. shelving Batgirl. "I'm going to assume it was a good one. I really don't know. I don't follow it that much."

As for when we might see him as Batman again, Keaton joked, "a little later tonight, probably. If you're lucky enough. No, I'm kidding. I don't know! We'll see."

https://ew.com/awards/emmys/michael-keaton-remembers-haters-supporters/

To be honest, Keaton was never going to overshadow the night with a rant, even if he was truly peeved by the situation.

A week ago, the CFO of WBD described the backlash surrounding Batgirl's cancellation as "blown out of proportion".

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-discovery-cfo-batgirl-shutdown-coverage-was-blown-out-of-proportion-to-its-business-impact-1235214730/

Most interesting, however, was this statement:

"I think there are a couple of clear priorities. DC stands out," Wiedenfels said, alluding to the search for someone to lead the comic book brand's empire. "As you know, David is still looking for someone to lead that, specifically. Wizarding World of Harry Potter has huge potential if we can get it right ... There is a lot in flight, but clearly if you look at it from a risk and reward perspective, leveraging some of those existing brands improves your return profile."

And looking further out, Wiedenfels showed signs of optimism and caution.

On the one hand, he said, "I think the opportunity is enormous, I view this as a Boeing 747 flying on one engine," noting all of the potential options on the table.

But on the other hand, he said that financial data his team accessed after the merger did not align with some of what they had access to pre-merger, forcing an adjustment.

And he also noted that "there is uncertainty in the macroeconomic environment, no question about it."

Sounds like Emmerich and co meddled with the numbers. If that's so, no wonder why they were fired.